The necessarily compact interiors of refrigerators and like structures such as upright freezers and storage cabinets inherently give rise to problems with regard both to utilization of limited interior space to its maximum, and provision of convenient access to the stored items or goods. These problems are particularly acute in refrigerators which, under normal circumstances, will have goods introduced thereto and removed therefrom many times throughout the day. Further, in view of the conventional manner of stacking goods in and on relatively deep shelves, it is not unusual for the user of the refrigerator to remove or displace several items in order to obtain access to a particular item.
Various attempts have been made to facilitate the placement of goods within a refrigerator, in particular, for easy subsequent access thereto. For example, attention is directed to the following patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,687,149 Shauer et al Oct. 9, 1928 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,070,055 Levien Feb. 9, 1937 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,437 Funke Mar. 4, 1980 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,010,962 Reinsberg Aug. 13, 1935 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,082,088, Wilson June 1, 1937 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,431,837 Spotts et al Dec. 2, 1947 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,525,538 Gamin Oct. 10, 1950 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,754,166 Ohm July 10 1956 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,684,558 Schwarz Sept. 18, 1928
Each of these patents proposes a refrigerator storage system wherein one or more rotatable trays are mounted on a refrigerator shelf whereby goods may be accommodated on the tray and, through a rotation thereof, selectively moved to the rear of the refrigerator for storage or to the front of the refrigerator for direct unencumbered access thereto. In each of these cases, the rotatable tray is merely a substitute for the shelf surface itself and, while providing for an enhanced access to the goods stored within the refrigerator, probably reduces the effective storage space and does not address the problem of full utilization of the vertical space between the shelves of a refrigerator.
While not in a refrigerator environment, it has long been known, as exemplified by the following patents, to suspend turntable-like units from overhead supports, generally shelves:
The majority of these patents provide for a direct bolting or screwing of the turntable assembly to the overhead of the turntable assembly to the overhead support, Reinsber does show, in one embodiment, the reliance on spring biased hook members.
Suspension means in the nature of hooks will also be noted in the following patent:
In Schwartz, the hooks engage the pipes of the refrigerating unit of a refrigerator and in turn support shoulder members for receiving a drain pan.
The storage system of the parent application utilizes a mounting bracket specifically adapted to engage and depend from a refrigerator wire shelf or rack for the suspension of a tray therebelow. The bracket includes a pair of opposed arms which engage the wires of the shelf, and a pair of support shoulders which receive the enlarged head of the handle of a tray supported by the bracket.